A Japan-bound plane caught fire on takeoff at Manila airport in the Philippines, killing all eight people on board, airport authorities said.
The Westwind aircraft was headed for Haneda airport on a medical evacuation mission carrying six Filipino crew members and two passengers, an American and a Canadian, authorities said without naming any of them.
Firefighters rushed to the end of the runway where the aircraft was engulfed in flames, dousing it with chemical foam, an airport authority statement said.
Most passenger aircraft at the airport have been grounded for weeks since the government put Manila and the rest of the main Philippine island of Luzon on quarantine to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.
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BREAKING: Fire engulfs plane on NAIA runway https://bit.ly/2vXasSV
Fire engulfs plane on NAIA runway
According to the Manila International Airport Authority Media Affairs, there was an incident at NAIA and that a plane requested emergency assistance, but the agency did not give further details.
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UPDATE: Lion aircraft RPC 5880 was supposed to fly to Haneda, Japan for a ‘medical evacuation’ when it exploded at NAIA runway 24. On board are 3 pilots, 1 doctor, 1 nurse, 1 mechanic, and 1 patient and a relative of the patient, accdg to sources. | via @jacquemanabat